Lily's Journey to the Past
by drmcatcher
Summary: Lily, Piper's foster daughter, races against time to save Wyatt and bring her older brother, Chris, happiness.


_Lily's Journey to the Past_

Summary: Lily, Piper's foster daughter, jumps into the past to save Wyatt and make Chris happy. Will she be successful?

Disclaimer: I do not owned Charmed or anything associated with it. However, I do own Lily since she is a figment of my imagination.

Chapter 1

A bubble of blue light appeared in the Halliwell Manor attic and dumped out a petite 17 year old, blond-haired, blue-eyed girl. When the girl regained her consciousness, she picked herself up and looked at her surroundings. This was definitely the Halliwell Manor Attic. There was junk everywhere. They had trunks full of old clothes and books. She even saw the doll that Piper had given her for her sixth birthday lying in a corner. As cherished as these things were, they didn't distinguish this attic from any other attic. She might have been an orphan, but she knew other families kept such things in their attics. It was the book sitting on the pedestal in the center of the room that told her that this was truly the Halliwell Manor attic.

Her destination was right, now all she had to find out was the year. To do that, she had to introduce herself to the Halliwell sisters. How was she going to do that?

Piper was the real authority in the Halliwell household. Her sisters, Phoebe and Paige followed her every command and she had Leo wrapped around her little finger. She was beginning to miss the Halliwell brothers. Wyatt and Chris usually protected her. They usually faced Piper's wrath for her and Piper's wrath was notorious. Piper had once had enough power to destroy San Francisco and she would have done it if Leo hadn't done that spell to make her cheerful. It might have saved San Francisco, but it didn't save Piper. To make matters worse, Piper was suspicious of everyone.

Yet, Piper had taken her in and made her Wyatt's and Chris's baby sister that day she had run away from the orphanage. That had been 11 years ago. She had been rain-soaked and cold and hungry. She had been desperate. She had knocked on practically every door in San Francisco looking for shelter and begging for food. Many people had turned her down, but a few families had fed her. When she had knocked on the Halliwell Manor door, Piper had taken pity on her and welcomed her to the Halliwell Manor. Maybe Piper had thought she was an innocent, so she had welcomed her. Whatever the reason, Piper had given her a home and a family, but she knew the Piper of whatever time she was in now would not know her.

Maybe she should act like the scared little girl she had been and knock on Piper's door. Piper might at least pity her, but would that be enough? What could make her look like the slip of a girl she had been? She wasn't as thin as she had been all those years ago. Her bones had been showing under her skin that terrible day 11 years ago. She had fattened up with Piper's excellent home-cooked food. Even her hair had thickened. It wasn't as thinly stranded as it had been. She looked more like a normal girl than a forlorn waif and was as beautiful as a model or maybe an angel. Wyatt used to joke that if she hadn't been his sister, he would have married her. Chris had seconded that declaration, which was odd, since he and Wyatt never agreed on anything. As if her appearance wasn't a problem, she had a problem with the atmosphere. It had rained that day Piper had made her a Halliwell, lending even more credence to her "I'm desperate, help me" look, but it wasn't raining today.

Oh…Oh…Oh! What was she going to do? She couldn't think anymore. She had to act. She had wasted enough time as it was. Besides, she was in the past to make sure that her future would happen and Chris could get the life he had always desired. She needed the Halliwells as much as they needed her and time was running out! She had to make sure that Gideon got his comeuppance and Chris didn't suffer. There had been times when Chris had gone out to the balcony after dinner and just stared at the stars. At least that is what she had thought the first time she had seen him there. She had been six, but even she knew something was bothering Chris. It was in his eyes. She had noticed that his eye color was tied to his mood. His eyes would change from green to blue to gray. That night they had been gray even though he had turned around and smiled at the sound of her voice asking him what the matter was. Gray was for those days he was very sad and felt worthless.

She had asked herself why Chris would feel worthless. He had a huge happy family and many friends. So, why was he so sad? Not finding a suitable answer, she decided to investigate. She started observing how Chris was treated in relation to the rest of the family and discovered the way the sisters and Leo sometimes treated him as if he was not there. For instance, Chris would ask Aunt Phoebe to pass the potatoes at dinner, and Aunt Phoebe would grudgingly pass the potatoes and continue her conversation with Piper. If that was the only time, it would have been okay, but they did it to him every night for the next 11 years. Consequently, Chris got smart and started asking for food next to Wyatt or her and spending a lot of time at Grandpa Victor's house.

This discovery unsettled her and she wanted to find out why Chris was treated differently. Was it his hair? Everyone else had blonde hair except for Piper and Aunt Paige, but Aunt Paige dyed her hair every week. Nobody was sure what her natural hair color truly was.

Then, one day after a demon vanquish (demons rarely disturbed the Halliwells), she overheard Piper telling Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe, "I just can't get over how much he looks like Chris Perry. I know Chris Perry and Chris are not the same, but I just cannot convince myself." Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe agreed with her and patted her on the back in a reassuring manner.

After hearing that, she had to find out who Chris Perry was and Chris was her best bet. So, she went to Grandpa Victor's house to question Chris, but he wasn't there. So, she orbed to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was Chris's favorite place to think and cry.

When she got there, she found Chris staring at the sunset. She said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" At the sound of her voice, Chris just scooted over and patted the spot next to him. She knew that was her cue. So, she sat down next to him and blurted out, Chris, I need to know who Chris Perry is. He ruined your life and I want to beat him up for you?" Chris just smiled at the 'beat him up' part of my statement and asked, "Then, would you be willing to beat me up?" She looked at him strangely and asked, "Why would I need to beat you up?" "You're slow on the uptake, munchkin. It must be the water or maybe Mom put something funny in the food," Chris said. She just huffed and said, "I am not a munchkin. Do I look short to you?" Chris laughed at her indignation and said, "You're gorgeous when you're angry. That's the only time there's a fire in your eyes."

Chris continued, "However, I cannot have you angry with me any longer. You are going to leave me after you hear my story, but I guess I have to tell someone. Bear in mind, Wyatt knows some of this story already, so you can ask him for confirmation." Thinking this was going to take all night, she conjured two cups of hot chocolate and a blanket and got cozy.

After Chris told her his story, she hugged him and said, "I promise to give you the happiness you desire and deserve." Then, she orbed back to the Halliwell Manor attic with Chris and wrote a spell that would take her to the past.

That's how she ended up in the Halliwell Manor attic of the past. Those were good memories, but she had to get on with her work. So, she imagined that forlorn, waif look she had sported 11 years ago and orbed to the doorstep of the Halliwell Manor. She timidly knocked on the door and hoped her act would work and win over Piper's heart.

At the sound of her knock, Piper who had just finished arguing with their neurotic white lighter, Chris Perry, answered the door. Piper, thinking that the person at the door was another salesperson, was ready to slam the door in the person who was at the door's face when she heard a tiny voice ask, "Please, ma'am, may I have some food?" I have run away from the orphanage and I am so hungry I think I could eat an elephant." Piper took pity on the little person in front of her, smiled, and said, "Come in and I'll make you something." "What would you like to eat?" Piper asked. Lily, the little person, couldn't believe her luck. She had gotten into the Halliwell Manor. She answered, "Anything will do, but I love spaghetti." Piper said, "Coming right up" and entered the kitchen. Lily followed her and asked, "Can I help with anything?" Piper said, "You're a guest. Don't trouble yourself." So, Lily took a seat at the kitchen table and thumbed through a magazine that someone had left at the table. As Lily thumbed through the magazine, Piper asked who she was and what she liked to do." Lily was prepared for these questions and said, "My name is Lily and I am six years old. I like to jump-rope and I love chocolate chip cookies." Piper liked the little girl and asked, "Would you like me to be your mother, considering you ran away from the orphanage? Then she added as an afterthought, "Why did you run away?" Lily answered, "I didn't like it there, but I like it here. I would love it if you would be my mommy."

With that, Lily became Piper's daughter, but Piper had to know if it would work out with Wyatt and Leo. So, she called Leo. When Leo appeared in blue and white lights, Lily clapped. At the sound of her clapping, Leo turned to Piper and asked, "Who is that?" Piper replied, "That is Lily. She is an orphan and I want to adopt her. What do you say?" Leo couldn't deny Piper anything, so he agreed and quickly returned to elder land.

Now, Lily had to meet Wyatt who was happily playing in his playpen in the living room. So, Piper led Lily to the living room and pointed to the playpen and said, "That's Wyatt. Isn't he cute?" Lily could only nod. She gingerly approached the playpen and waited for Wyatt to put up his shield. To her relief, Wyatt smiled and raised his arms in a sign of wanting to be picked up. She picked him up and muttered, "The things I do for you and Chris." At the mention of Chris's name, Wyatt said, "Kwis" and started crying. Lily apologetically looked at Piper and said, "Mom, my new brother wants someone called Kwis." Piper translated Kwis to Chris and called for Chris.

At Piper's call, Chris appeared in blue and white lights and asked in irritation, "What, now, Piper? I was busy." Before Piper could answer, Lily looked at Chris and ran into his arms. Chris was dumbfounded, but it was just so good to see him. She didn't care what Piper thought, but she knew she had to prevent Piper from finding out the truth. So, she opened up a telepathic link with Chris and told him, "I know you are surprised. I will give you some answers, but you will have to play along for now. Meet me in my room after dinner. It's the second door on the right on the second floor."

Then, she picked Wyatt up and handed him to Chris. Once Wyatt was settled, she turned to Piper and said, "Mom, I'm sorry about that. I just thought he was another of my new brothers." Piper replied, "Sorry, sweetheart. That's Chris Perry. He is our whitelighter. He protects us from monsters." "Then, will he protect me from the monsters under my bed? Amy said the boogie man lives under my bed. While Piper laughed, Chris thought, "Wow, she really can act. Every six year old is scared of monsters." Aloud he answered, "It will be my pleasure to slay your monsters, my lady." Lily knew the Chris in front of her wasn't the Chris she knew, but she didn't care. He was there and that's all that mattered.

After dinner, Lily ran to her room and patiently waited for Chris to come. When Chris arrived, she motioned for him to join her on the bed and quietly muttered "Silencio!"

Once the charm took effect, Lily transformed into her real self and hugged Chris. Then she said, "I guess you want some answers now." Chris looked at her again and sarcastically said, "No, kidding." Lily wasn't offended. She just curled a lock of her hair around her finger and said, "I am your foster baby sister of the future you created. The appearance I had is what I looked like when I first met Piper. I was a shy orphan and you and good Wyatt made me a confident girl. Notice I said good Wyatt. You are successful in your mission, but it is at the expense of your happiness. Mom and the Charmed Ones treat you as if you were a ghost and dad isn't much better. You believe it is fitting punishment, but it isn't. You made me stronger, now let me help you.

To do that, I need you to tell me every bad thing you have done and I will find it in their memory and erase it. If you are worried about personal gain, don't be. I am the balance between good and evil. I am also superior to the elders and they have to listen to me.

"Speaking of elders, let's go vanquish Gideon for turning Wyatt." Chris's mind was reeling from all of the information, but his mind did register Gideon and turning Wyatt. So, he said, "Hold on, Lily! My mind still feels like a truck ran over it. Gideon turns Wyatt? How do you know?" Lily looked at Chris in disbelief and said, "You told me." Did you not know that you are destined to remember every life you will ever live? "So, then you know about my life?" "Yes, I do." Lily quietly replied. You may not be the older brother I know, but you are still my brother and right now you need all the hugs and help you can get. I know you don't like to cry and probably haven't since mom died in your future, but this is your second chance to be with mom. At least think about it, Chris, because I would be jumping for joy if I could meet my biological mother one more time.

Since Chris did not want to deal with his mother's death, he asked, "Could you explain to me how we are going to get Gideon here?" "I'll summon him here, she answered, while smirking evilly. "If you summon him here, we will have the other elders on our tail," Chris knowledgeably said. "No, we won't," Lily answered. Then she added, "Don't you listen to anything? She thought over her question and said, "Never mind, I always knew you were an idiot. Besides, girls rule." Chris caught onto her childish barb and laughed.

While Chris laughed, Lily who felt the silence charm and ward she had put up disintegrate, quickly transformed into her six year old self and screamed, "Chris! Monster!" Chris looked at Lily in puzzlement and realized that whatever barrier Lily had erected to give them privacy had fallen. So, he got off her bed and started searching under her bed for monsters.

Meanwhile, the Charmed Ones had been enjoying a quiet evening discussing their lives and bonding when they heard screams coming from the floor above them. Piper, knowing that those were Lily's scrams and fearing a demon attack, ran up the stairs followed by two very confused sisters. She quickly blew up the door and froze the room. Then, she looked around the room to see if there were any demons. Finding none, she realized Lily was scared of the monsters under her bed that she had mentioned earlier that day. She then noticed that Chris was taking care of the monsters, but Lily was still trembling. So, she picked Lily up, stroked her blond locks, and took Lily to her room and tucked her into bed. Once Lily was tucked into bed, she demanded a story. Piper couldn't think of a story, so she asked, "Lily, how about a song? I am lousy at telling stories." Lily smiled and quietly went to sleep as Piper began to sing.

Once Lily had fallen asleep, she thought, "How nice. At least Lily won't keep me up at all hours like Wyatt." Piper worked through that thought again and said, "Oh, no! I forgot all about Wyatt." "Don't worry, Piper, we took care of Wyatt," Phoebe and Paige said as they entered Piper's room. Then Paige asked, "Who is the little girl?" Piper replied, "My daughter. I'll explain more at the kitchen table, but I have to go and thank Chris for his help tonight.

Five minutes later, Piper, Chris, Phoebe and Paige were sitting at the kitchen table staring at each other. Piper couldn't take the silence anymore and said, "I guess I should start. Lily is my daughter. She arrived this morning in tattered clothes saying she had run away from the orphanage. All she would tell me was she didn't like the orphanage. My heart went out to her and I wanted to help her. So, I asked her if I could be her mother. Her face just lit up and her eyes sparkled. Then, I called Leo and had him meet her and sign the adoption papers. After that she met Wyatt who approved of her.

Puzzled, Paige and Phoebe asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" "You were at work and I didn't want to bother you," Piper replied. Phoebe replied, "It was a slow day, but hooray! I'm officially an aunt for the second time." Chris muttered, "Third time, Aunt Phoebe" under his breath. Luckily for him, nobody caught it since Paige asked, "This is great news and all, but how do you know she isn't evil or this is some sort of trap?" Piper glared at Paige and said, "She is just a little girl. Besides, Wyatt didn't put up his shield when she approached him."

For now, Paige would hold her peace because she didn't want to face Piper's fury. Seeing the love Piper had for Lily, Chris wished Piper would give him some of that love. How had she done it? Where had he failed? All she had to do was pop onto their doorstep, and Lily had gained Piper's love and trust. Was it because she had come as a six year old girl?

Chris knew he needed some answers, but he had to wait. Only Lily could give him the answers he needed. Only she knew of his sorrow. Too bad she had never existed in his future. She would have made a great psychologist and maybe he wouldn't have turned out as freaky as he had. The sisters had described him as their neurotic white lighter. They might be right, but they didn't know about his pre-Resistance days. Lily did and he could see that she admired him. It was in her eyes and in her voice. Too bad she was a Halliwell; she would have made a great wife. That last thought came unbidden into Chris's mind as he quietly went to sleep at the kitchen table with dreams of a beautiful future with Lily.

The next morning, Chris woke up in a bed with no memory of ever having gotten there. He looked around and realized he was in the guest bedroom, but what surprised him more was a smiling Piper and a bouncing lump at the end of his bed. Lily had come to join him. Maybe he could get his answers after all, but he had to get rid of Piper. How was he going to do that?

No solution presented itself. So, he cried, "Good morning, Piper! Did you have a good rest?" Piper looked at him and said, "Chris, are you feeling okay? You have never greeted me like that. What happened to our favorite neurotic white lighter?" Chris was going to protest, but then he said, "He took a vacation." Then, he turned to Lily and asked, "How was your sleep, princess?" Lily scrunched up her nose and said, Eww. I'm not a princess; I'm a munchkin!" "Chris answered, "That's not much better. If you keep up that face, you'll be a bull dog." Then, Lily turned to Piper and said, "Mommy! Chris is calling me mean names!" Piper was going to reprimand Chris when Chris took Lily's hand and said, "Sorry, Lily. I won't do it again." "Apology accepted," Lily replied. Then, her stomach growled and she ran down the stairs yelling, "Hooray! It's food time." Piper looked apologetically at Chris and left.

20 minutes later, Chris joined Piper and Lily at the kitchen table for breakfast where he saw a stack of pancakes waiting for him. Knowing it was Lily's doing, he smiled gratefully at her and dove in. Piper looked at him and said, "You really must be starving." Chris replied, "These pancakes are really delicious, Piper. Thanks." Piper said, "Thank Lily. She told me to leave a plate for you."

After breakfast, Chris signaled to Lily that he wanted to chat. So, she took Chris's hand and shouted, "Mommy, Chris is taking me to the Golden Gate Bridge." "Have a good time," Piper called without looking up from the computer screen on which she had been calculating P3's inventory.

So, Chris orbed Lily and himself to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Lily admired the view. Chris noticed Lily's reaction and said, "I come up here to think." "I know," Lily answered and added, "I found you here the day before I left. You told me your story here."

Lily gazed longingly at the sunset and as if remembering herself, she turned to Chris and asked so, what do you want to chat about?" Chris asked, "How old am I compared to you? Where do I work? How are Patty, Prue, and Melinda?" "One question at a time, please!" Lily replied. Then, she placed her index finger on her chin and answered, "Let's see, I'm 17 years old and you are 27 years old. Wyatt is 29 years old. You own Quake and P3. You take over the business from Mom. You also teach fencing at Magic School in your spare time. You also have a beautiful wife and inquisitive two year old daughter. I was using her as my model for this six year old act. As for Patti, Prue, and Melinda, they are fine. Patti and Prue are in a band and Melinda is an artist. She makes ceramic bowls that Mom sells at Quake. Is that all? Chris answered, "I actually brought you up here to make plans for Gideon's downfall and ask how you captured Piper's heart. "I was just lucky that Piper accepted me, she honestly answered Chris. "As for Gideon's downfall, we can summon him here," Lily said.

With that Lily chanted,

Come! Spirits of afar and heed my call.

Bring to us the one called Gideon

In this place of sweet repose.

Chris didn't think it was a great spell, but he watched as wind whipped through her hair and little bolts of red lightning shot through her hands. Then, the bolts stopped and right in front of her was a kneeling Gideon. Chris was awed by Lily's power, but he couldn't control his amusement of Gideon kneeling at Lily's feet. He laughed and laughed until his eyes were full of tears.

Hearing Chris's laughter, Gideon was going to get up and throw a few lightning bolts at Chris, but Lily's spell restrained him. So, he kept quiet and waited for Lily to command him. She said in a booming voice, "It has come to my attention that you wish to destroy the Balance by murdering the Twice-Blessed Child. For that, you shall die." As a result, Lily conjured a dark lighter arrow and aimed it at Gideon's heart. Within a few minutes, Gideon had died and Lily returned to her petite, exhausted 17 year old body.

Three days later, Lily woke up on a cot in the backroom of P3. She got up and went in search of Chris. She found him setting up the sound system for that night's concert. She greeted him and asked, "How long have I been out?" Chris answered, "Three days, munchkin." I see you got my hint, big brother, Lily quipped.

"Joking aside, how do you really feel?" Chris asked and added, "I can extend our ticket for one more day so that you can enjoy tonight's concert." She replied, "I might need some aspirin, but I can manage."

The next morning, Lily transformed into her six year old form and Chris orbed her to the Halliwell Manor where they met up with a furious Piper. Chris calmly explained to Piper that Lily had fallen off the Golden Gate Bridge and he had orbed to save her, but she still sustained some injuries that required hospitalization. He also mentioned that she had been unconscious and had just awoken. Piper examined Lily's body and saw scars. She thanked Chris for his help and ushered Lily into the house.

Chris returned to the Halliwell Manor later on that day and took her to the Halliwell Manor attic. When they got to the attic, Lily chanted,

Magic, be my guide!

Take from the memories

Of those who dwell

In this time and space

The names of Chris and Lily

And all that they have done

Except for the punishment

Of the one called Gideon

For disturbing the Balance

And murdering the Twice-Blessed Son.

After Lily's chant, Chris drew the triquetra on the wall and said,

Oh, Father Time! Heed our call.

Return us to our space and time!

Then, he grabbed Lily's hand and jumped through the portal.

When Lily and Chris exited the portal, they found themselves enjoying one of Piper's excellent dinners with the entire Halliwell family. Then, Phoebe tapped her glass and said, "I call for a toast. May Lily's future be full of happiness and laughter? Congratulations on your graduation, Lily!"

After Phoebe's speech, everyone toasted to Lily's graduation. In the commotion, Lily stole a glance at Chris to see how he was faring. She noticed that the Charmed Ones and Leo now treated him kindly. She also noticed a girl ask Chris to dance with her. The next thing she saw was Chris dancing with the girl. Maybe the girl would be his soul-mate. She didn't know, but at least Chris was happy and Wyatt was still good. Life was good and she wouldn't dream of changing a thing even if she could live her life again.


End file.
